The Perfect Gift
by If Dreams Were Wishes
Summary: A collection of the Storm Hawks' holiday memories and the best gifts they ever received. Based on the lyrics of of the Canadian Tenors' song "The Perfect Gift." Oneshot #2: Stork.
1. Aerrow

**Hello Everyone and Happy Holidays :)**

**As promised, here I am with my annual Christmas fanfic! This will be similar to last year's fic, as it will be a collection of Christmas memories for each member of the Storm Hawks, based off the lyrics of a song (in this case, "The Perfect Gift" by the Canadian Tenors). Also, these oneshots will follow the timeline and backstory I created for "Hide and Seek" and "Shattered."**

**We begin with Aerrow this time. I imagine this taking place the first Christmas the Storm Hawks spend together on the Condor, and it happens soon after the Christmas fic from two years ago, "A Winter's Night." Enjoy the fun :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks, nor the song "The Perfect Gift" by the Canadian Tenors. (I encourage everyone to check out the Canadian Tenors' Christmas album. It not only has classic Christmas songs, but also ones you wouldn't expect like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Hallelujah." Also, these men have wonderful voices - nice and easy to listen to ;D). **

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><p>"<em>Close your eyes<em>

_And I will sing a song for you._

_I will always be there,_

_I will always love you._"

Finn wolf-whistled as Aerrow stomped down the hall.

"Shut up, Finn," the sky knight grumbled. "It better not be you know stole all my shirts!"

"Someone's not in the Christmas spirit!" Finn teased, failing to hold in a laugh. "Anyway, dude, you're not my type."

"Nice to know," Aerrow answered dryly. He was _**not**_ in a good mood right now. He couldn't even find it in himself to enjoy the evergreen boughs and lights they'd strung along the walls the other day.

Aerrow had awoken late that morning to discover that every single one of his shirts—including the one he'd tossed over his chair before falling into bed early that morning—were gone. He'd spent a half hour searching and re-searching his room, dumping out every drawer and looking under every piece of furniture, but the befuddled sky knight had found nothing. Aerrow considered the possibility of Piper having taken his clothes to wash, but why only his shirts? Anyway, Piper wouldn't wash clothes on Christmas day, besides, Aerrow was pretty sure it was Junko's turn.

The two most obvious answers checked off, Aerrow turned to the third: Finn. The sky knight almost expected to see his shirts hung up along with the decorations, or attached to the Condor's outer rails for the whole terra to see. But, surprisingly, Finn seemed to be letting them all have their first Christmas as a squadron without any pranks to spoil the cheer.

So, Aerrow found himself shirtless and frustrated,—not to mention a little chilled—marching around the Condor, asking his fellow Storm Hawks if any of them had seen his lost clothing. It was one of the most humiliating things to happen to him in a while.

Head down and thoughts brewing, Aerrow ran straight into Junko. The cups in the wallop's hands overturned, slopping hot purple goop over the sky knight's bare shoulders and chest.

"Ah!" Aerrow gasped, burned slightly by the drinks.

"I'm so sorry!" Junko apologized, attempting to mop up the goop with his sleeve. "Since you liked my family's special holiday drink so much yesterday, I was bringing some as a surprise to cheer you up."

Aerrow sighed tiredly, giving his friend a small smile. "Thanks for the thought, Junko. It's not your fault. Nothing seems to be going right for me today."

"Guess you haven't found your shirts yet, huh?" Junko observed. "But it can't be _**that**_ bad, it is Christmas, after all."

"Yeah, you're right. I just wish I could find Piper and Radarr. They're the only ones I haven't asked about my shirts and I can't find them anywhere!"

Junko hummed in thought, scratching his chin. "I saw them in the kitchen when I was making these drinks."

"Thanks, I'll look there after I wash this stuff off." Aerrow didn't even want to look at the mess his front must be right now.

"Okay, and I'll make some more drinks!" Junko chimed happily, continuing on down the hall.

"Make sure to make Finn some! He told me it was the _**best**_ stuff he's ever tasted!"

_Payback_. Hiding his smirk, Aerrow headed towards the bathroom. Turning the corner, he stopped abruptly when he came upon a bizarre sight. Piper was crouched at the other end of the hallway, Radarr perched on her shoulders, while the pair gazed stealthily around the next bend. Their backs to Aerrow, the duo were too preoccupied to notice the sky knight sneak up behind them. Arms crossed, he stood over them for a minute, staring down his nose suspiciously.

"Hey guys." Piper jumped, turning so quickly that Radarr was flung off his roost with a squeak. "I've been looking for you two all day. It's almost like you've been _**avoiding**_ me."

"_**Goodness**_, Aerrow. You scared me!" Piper held a hand over her racing heart. Radarr squawked in agreement, leaning against the wall for support.

"What were you two doing, anyway?"

"Nothing!" Piper said a little to quickly, looking at the sky knight properly for the first time. Her eyes scanned his purple stained skin, and she lifted a hand to mask her smile, but Aerrow caught the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"It was you who stole my shirts, wasn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Radarr chirped indignantly, placing two blue paws of his hips. It was a comical stance.

"Radarr's right. We really just _**borrowed**_ them. We had every intention of giving them back," Piper elaborated. "Radarr, why don't you get Aerrow's gift and I'll help him de-goop."

With a _sqiiiirk _and a salute, Radarr marched stiffly towards Piper's room. The crystal specialist grabbed Aerrow's hand and dragged him to the bathroom. Soaking a cloth in cold water, she ignored the sky knight's protests and began to clean his chest.

"What have you done to yourself this time?" she tittered like a mother hen, moving the cloth in gentle circles over her friend's stomach. "You'll have to ice this after, Aerrow, or it'll blister."

Aerrow caught Piper's hand in his own as she began to trail the cloth up to clean his shoulder. "Piper, I can do this myself, you know. I'm not two."

"I know," Piper admitted, but simply swatted his hand away to continue her work. "But this was kind of my fault. I let this go on too long."

"Wait," Aerrow said in realization as Piper turned to rinse the cloth. "Don't tell me you two were following me around all morning!"

Piper's awkward laugh gave the sky knight his answer.

"So, you and Radarr stole—"

"Borrowed," Piper injected.

"Fine, _borrowed_ my shirts, then hid and watched the _fun_? I think you've been spending too much time with Finn..."

"Oh no, we're _**nothing**_ like Finn," Piper smiled happily. "Finn's pranks are just foolishness. Our's had a very good reason. Actually, there were two reasons."

Ringing out the cloth, Piper turned to face Aerrow's questioning expression. Sighing, she cleaned his other shoulder. "You've been so preoccupied later with your returning memories, Radarr and I just thought we'd help take your mind off everything for a while."

"And leaving me shirtless was the best idea you could come up with?"

"I told you there were _**two**_ reasons. Ah! And here's the second one now."

Aerrow followed Piper's gesturing hand towards the door, where Radarr stood holding up a large, wrapped box. The sky monkey could hardly be seen behind the coloured paper and giant red bow.

"What's this?" Aerrow asked.

"Your Christmas present, of course!"

"Really?" Aerrow gingerly took the box. "What does this have to do with my missing shirts?"

"Just open it and see!" Piper giggled. Radarr nodded in agreement, his furry face spread in a grin.

Half expecting something to jump out at him, Aerrow opened his gift warily. But he had no need to fear. Inside, the sky knight found all his shirts, neatly folded.

"You're giving me my own shirts for Christmas?"

"No, silly!" Piper sighed. "Take one out and have a good look."

Aerrow followed his friend's instructions. Nothing appeared out of place. Turning the shirt inside-out, he saw something he wasn't expecting. Sewn carefully where the fabric would rest over his heart, was a little pocket.

"I thought you might need a special place for your family photo too," Piper explained. "Now that you have one."

Aerrow was lost for words. He looked back and forth between the crystal specialist and sky monkey, who just smiled back at him. What could he say? He had been so caught up in the pain of his memories lately, that he had forgotten how they were also special and precious. His life had been so happy before the Cyclonian invasion, and he had to remember that happiness, not only the grief of his lose. Piper and Radarr truly understood this, and they had given him a way to cherish his lost family.

"Thank you," Aerrow said, pulling Radarr and Piper into a tight embrace. As he held two members of his new family, the sky knight reminded himself that he had to cherish them as well.

A wolf-whistle came from the hall, followed by a blinding flash.

"Yes! Blackmail." Finn grinned from the door. "That's for me having to drink a whole cup of Junko's 'family tradition' in front of him!"

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><p><strong>That's number one of six. With any luck, I'll be posting at least one a day. I actually had this written on the 24th, but I wasn't happy with it and wanted to have another look before posting. It's still nothing near my best work, but it's just a bit of fun anyway. If anything, this will be good practice before I get back to writing the last few chapters of "Shattered."<strong>

**As always, feel free to review! I love to hear from you all :)**


	2. Stork

**Hello again everyone! Here's the next instalment of this Christmas collection.**

**This oneshot is Stork's. Again, I have a few throwbacks to my "Shattered" fic and Stork's oneshot in "I Keep This Moment," but nothing drastic enough to throw off anyone who hasn't read them (although I'm sure it'll add a few extra chuckles to those of you who have).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks, nor "The Perfect Gift" by the Canadian Tenors.**

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><p>"<em>While you're dreaming,<em>

_I will row your boat ashore._

_I will always be there for you._"

"Gah!" Stork screamed in frustration, pulling at his dark hair. "Where could it be? Of all the times to choose the run away, why _**tonight **_? You truly are my nemesis!"

The merb slouched across the bridge to glare at the ship's keyhole accusingly. "And what, pray tell, do _**you**_ have to say for yourself? Couldn't watch him for _**one minute**_, could you? I know we've had our differences in the past, but isn't this supposed to be a time for good will or something?"

But the keyhole only gave the crazed merb its usual, silent response. The cold metal stared back indignantly, its uneven slot turned upwards on one side in a condescending smirk.

"Fine." Stork turned his back to the steering console with a huff. He really should have seen this coming. Everything had been going far too well for comfort.

Scrutinizing the decorations, Stork checked the near-invisible string that ran from under the tree skirt up to a hidden compartment in the ceiling. The line was tight. His trap was ready. Stork had come a long way since his first attempt to capture the giant elf a few Christmases ago. He'd learned a lot from his fellow Storm Hawks that his reference book had failed to mention. For one thing, cookies and milk were a necessity. Apparently, sweats were the best Kringle-bait around. Obviously the fellow had a super-powered immune system, not to have died from food poisoning or transferable diseases—Stork had an array of tests waiting in the infirmary for when he made a successful capture.

But that was not all! Lights were not limited to the ships exterior, nor was vegetation only placed by the fireplace. No, it all had be hung _**everywhere**_. Even now, Stork cringed at the thought of all those dust-collecting displays infesting the Condor. Because everyone knew, if dust could settle,_** anything**_ could! And don't even get him _**started**_ on the mistletoe. Why make a tradition that forces germ transmission? It was definitely a very dangerous time of year...

So, Stork took to wearing a mask and taking vitamin supplements bi-hourly. It was all worth it, if the preparations were perfect. He had to admit, the bridge looked a lot more like the pictures in his reference book, now that the tree was no made of scrap metal and Piper had bought a faux-fireplace for the occasion. There had been no way _**anything**_ could spoil his plans. Until Stork noticed the Condor's key was missing.

After an extreme case of deja-vu and subsequent panic attack, Stork reminded himself that he was in no immediate danger—doom a little further off. The key was not exactly necessary at the moment, since the Storm Hawks had stopped on terra Atmosia for the holidays, which had become a sort of tradition for the squadron. Still, what if the Cyclonians attacked, or the terra spontaneously crumbled into a million pieces, or they ran out of merb cabbage! The Condor couldn't fly without the key, meaning if an emergency arose, there was no means of escape. For the moment, their only option was _**doom**_.

If the keyhole wasn't going to reveal where its counterpart had snuck off to at such a disgraceful hour, Stork would have to find out for himself. It was just like that stupid piece of scrap metal, to purposefully ruin his perfect plan. Not needing to put the ship in lock-down—Stork had done that over an hour ago to make sure his squadron mates were all in bed dreaming of sugar-plums-of-doom—Stork scampered about, searching high and low for the Condor's mischievous key.

The merb was lifting the lid to the toilet tank when a beeping and flashing red light from his back pocket grabbed his attention. Pulling out his handheld remote for the intruder-detection system, Stork was informed of a large being moving towards the bridge. The merb was halfway down the hall when three loud honks came from the bridge. _**Yes!**_ His trap had worked!

The mechanic doors didn't open fast enough for the speeding merb and Stork ran face-first into solid metal plates. Once his ears stopped ringing and his vision cleared, Stork turned towards the tree expectantly.

Calling the sight that meet him the _**disappointed of his life**_ would be an understatement.

Sitting in a rope net hanging from the ceiling, munching on a plate of frosted sandcakes with a neatly wrapped box in his lap, was Radarr. The sky monkey squawked in greeting and waved, a sheepish smile crossing his furry blue features.

"_**Radarr**_!" Stork's jaw hit the floor. "How did _**you**_ get in there?"

"With a lot of work," Piper answered as she and Aerrow emerged from their hiding place behind the circular table. Finn and Junko's heads poked out from either side of the tree.

"Dude, you're too much trouble to surprise," the sharpshooter commented.

"How did you get out!" Stork demanded, pressing a button on his remote. Radarr and the net fell to the floor in a heap. "The ship's in lock-down!"

Aerrow grinned. "Radarr fits in the ducts perfectly. He unlocked the doors for us."

"We just wanted to give you your Christmas present," Junko explained.

Stork jumped a good foot when something pulled his pant leg. He landed in a crane-pose, ready to defend himself against any peril. Looking down, the merb only found Radarr, rubbing his bruised rump while he held up the little coloured package.

"This is for me?" Stork eyed the box suspiciously.

"Of course!" Aerrow laughed. "Just open it Stork. It won't bite, I promise."

Still, Stork removed the wrapping paper with caution. His and Aerrow's definitions of danger were very different—the redhead jumped off flying vehicles for _**fun**_, for goodness' sake! Lifting the boxes lid with the care of a bomb disposal expert, Stork discovered his lost key nestled safely in a bed of tissue paper.

"You've got to be kidding me," the merb deadpaned.

"I know the Condor was technically passed down to me," Aerrow explained. "But you're the one whose spent the most time and put the most effort into her. This may be our home, but the Condor is _**your**_ ship, Stork. We just wanted to make sure you knew that, and officially give the keys to you."

The profoundness of the gesture was lost on none of the Storm Hawks. The others' arrival had been both a blessing and a curse for Stork. On one hand, the key to the Condor had been returned and all his hard work had not gone to waste. On the other, the ship that had been his pride and joy—his alone—was his no longer. Aerrow was the sky knight, the descendent, and thus the Condor's rightful owner. Stork had felt a little cheated at first, but after being given the role of carrier pilot and free rein over any repairs and upgrades, the bitterness had subsided. Still, over the past few years, Stork had felt a disconnection from one of the things he held most dear.

Now, Aerrow had handed him full ownership and command. Logistically, nothing had really changed. No matter who _owned_ the Condor, it was still their home and they each had some claim—material, emotional or otherwise—to it. This was really a gesture of appreciation and acknowledgement. Giving Stork the key showed the others' respect for the merb's ability and his worthiness to make decisions on the Condor's fate. His squadron mates trusted his skill. They trusted him with their lives. For Stork, there was no greater compliment than another's belief in his capacity to escape—if only temporarily—from their ever-approaching doom.

Taking the key, Stork flipped it once in the air, caught it between two lanky fingers, then put it straight into his pocket—it wasn't getting away from him every again.

"Thanks," the merb said genuinely, meeting his friends' beaming faces. As for his Santa trap, there was always next year, right? Unless he met his doom, of course, but that was a totally different story.

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><p><strong>Ah, Stork. Have I yet to write you without some relationship to an inanimate object? I just think it's because Stork is so... slightly manic?... that I can't help but think he would totally blame the keyhole! lol ;) As always, Stork was way too much fun to write. I always have a good time diving into his head. He's just so different. It's very refreshing.<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this oneshot! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


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